March 16, 2016
The ups and downs of an island
In 1835, Captain Robert FitzRoy and the crew of the HMS Beagle — who were exploring and studying the Chilean coast with Charles Darwin in tow — …
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Geology
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1236 articles · Page 30 of 52
March 13, 2016
Geologic Column: Blockbuster solutions
I see a lot of movies. By “a lot,” I mean about 250 per year. Since retiring, one of the activities my wife, Claudia, and I have enjoyed is …
March 10, 2016
Down to Earth With: Glaciologist Ted Scambos
As a young boy, Ted Scambos was fascinated by space and technology, and spent many hours watching aircraft take off and land at the Air Force …
March 3, 2016
Comment: How 'Frankenstein' prevents us from tackling climate change
Just over two hundred years ago, on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, Mount Tambora erupted with an explosive plume that ejected debris up to 43 …
March 2, 2016
Himalayas get a new birthdate
The Himalayas are the highest and widest mountain range on the planet, but when they began forming has never been clear. In a new study, …
February 29, 2016
Geomedia: Books: The danger of anti-data ideologies is explored in 'Denying Science'
I see science denialism as a pernicious problem in modern society. It was with some anticipation, then, that I recently read John Grant’s 2011 …
February 29, 2016
Travels in Geology: The King's Highway: The crossroads of ancient Jordan
The King’s Highway, a Middle Eastern thoroughfare that once stretched from Egypt to the Euphrates River, has been used by numerous civilizations …
February 29, 2016
Getting there and getting around Jordan
Jordan has two international airports: Amman and Aqaba. Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport is the main gateway, offering service to most …
February 19, 2016
Volcanic aerosols not enough to cause mass extinctions?
Mass extinctions — when more than half of Earth’s species disappear in a geologic instant — offer some of the planet’s most perplexing unsolved …
February 16, 2016
Uranium contamination in aquifers could be linked to nitrate
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant life, but plants can only take up so much so fast. When excess nitrogen enters the environment by way …
February 9, 2016
Volcanic eruptions affect rivers around the world
Volcanic eruptions are some of the most powerful agents of climate change on the planet, with some very large events impacting global weather for …
February 8, 2016
Siwash Rock as an urban geoheritage icon
Siwash Rock in Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, is a prominent and photogenic sea stack — an erosional remnant of an Oligocene basalt …
February 8, 2016
Urban type sections
It might surprise people to learn that some type sections can be found in cities. Type sites require conservation and protection. An example from …
February 8, 2016
Urban geology: An emerging discipline in an increasingly urbanized world
The mass urbanization of the human race is a relatively new phenomenon in the history of civilization. In 1900, when geology was maturing as a …
February 2, 2016
Fire-fountain carbon sheds light on lunar origins
The moon was once thought to be virtually devoid of water and other volatile materials — a presumed consequence of extreme heating during its …
February 2, 2016
Down to Earth With: Yosemite's first park geologist Greg Stock
As a child growing up in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, Greg Stock and his family took frequent trips to Yosemite …
February 1, 2016
Geomedia: Apps: Join the crowd: Introducing a new generation of geo-apps
At a time when the technical and computing capabilities of science are evolving at breakneck speeds, it might seem like researchers would always …
February 1, 2016
Getting there and getting around Kentucky's Red River Gorge
Entry to Daniel Boone National Forest and the Red River Gorge is free. The nearest airports are in Lexington and Louisville, Ky., both about an …
February 1, 2016
Miguel, and trad versus sport climbing
Miguel Ventura, owner of Miguel’s Pizza, has been at the Red River Gorge Geological Area (“the Red”) since 1984. He started selling ice cream to …
January 22, 2016
Travels in Geology: Rocks and Climbing at Kentucky's Red River Gorge
One Friday last June, some friends and I drove five hours from Ann Arbor, Mich., to Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, a natural scenic area also called …
January 15, 2016
Ice (Re)Cap: February 2016
From Antarctica to the Arctic; from polar caps, permafrost and glaciers to ocean-rafted sea ice; and from burly bears to cold-loving microbes, …
January 15, 2016
UNESCO adopts Global Geoparks Program
On Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, the 195 member states of UNESCO formally adopted the Global Geoparks Network, designating the inscribed parks as …
January 14, 2016
D.C. wastewater no longer going to waste
D.C. Water & Sewer Authority, which treats sewage from Washington, D.C., as well as from the Maryland and Virginia suburbs ringing the city, is …
January 11, 2016
Getting there and getting around peninsular Greece
Northern Greece has two major airports: Athens and Thessaloniki. Athens International Airport offers the most options, including seasonal daily …